Confession, they (whoever they may be) say, is good for the soul.I don't know if I believe that, but however, I do have a confession -- a rather gruesome one, at that - to make.I voted for Mr. Bush.There, I said it.The reason I make this confession is because I am tired of hearing people say that the half of the United States that voted for the man is afraid to admit to their mistakes and that they are afraid to take a stand against our president.I voted for the current president because I was brainwashed...brainwashed by Christians in this country, who pressured their congregations to vote for Dubya, pressured by oober-conservative republicans in my mostly republican home town, etceteras.But unlike the stereotype, I can admit that I made a mistake, and I can call for the impeachment of a president who resembles something more of a military dicator. War time or not, both Bush and Cheney need to be removed from office for good.The reason for this message is because I'm sick and tired of the guilt for voting for the man, and I hope that other people are able to take responsibility for putting him in office and get out and do something about it.Oh, and by the way, I'm back. Sorry it's been like.....2 years? since I've posted.

I don't have to go swimming through an outhouse to know I wouldn't like it."

Perhaps the reason why not may people admit that they voted for Bush is because not many people voted for Bush afterall.

The past is the past, let it stay there. What I would be much more interested in, is how or why you were brainwashed. What exactly was it that got you to vote for Bush, and how is it that you "saw the light"?

Oh, and welcome back.

Why continue? Because we must. Because we have the call. Because it is nobler to fight for rationality without winning than to give up in the face of continued defeats. Because whatever true progress humanity makes is through the rationality of the occasional individual and because any one individual we may win for the cause may do more for humanity than a hundred thousand who hug their superstitions to their breast.

Perhaps the reason why not may people admit that they voted for Bush is because not many people voted for Bush afterall.

The past is the past, let it stay there. What I would be much more interested in, is how or why you were brainwashed. What exactly was it that got you to vote for Bush, and how is it that you "saw the light"?

Oh, and welcome back.

Ricky: I was brainwashed in the way so many people were...by my church. The pastor preached relentlessly on how we need to vote for Bush, how we need to have a "good, God-fearing man in office" and how it is our "Christian duty" to elect Bush. After hearing that for so long coming into the election, I didn't even think about who to vote for (although, unlike a lot of people, I did watch all of the debates). There was also quite a bit of "redneck campaigning" going on in the community that put quite a bit of emphasis on voting for Bush, therefore instead of it being my decision, I feel that it was someone else's decision pushed on me, and I was too young to really think on my own completely and also very easily influenced, so when I went in I didn't even think I just voted.

Now, how is it that I saw the light? Well, as many of you remember, I came into this forum several years ago with my conservative views locked in, and many of you (Kil, Dr. Mabuse, Dave W.) pretty well shot holes in most of my theories, but the biggest thing was when I started getting a little more into politics and actually paying attention. I started to see that there was something wrong, and whenever I mentioned it to my "Christian friends," their only rebuttal was "that's just the devil trying to get at you," and after a while hearing that every time, it seemed like they were more like robots than people, so I started to question everything I had been taught, and came to the conclusion that most of it was based on myth rather than fact.

I don't have to go swimming through an outhouse to know I wouldn't like it."

Life is a continuous opportunity to learn about ourselves and the world/universe around us. The willingness to learn facilitates changing one's mind, when changing one's mind is warranted by the available facts. And facts become relevant when you are willing to learn.

Keep it up there is a whole lot of interesting stuff out there.

Life is good

Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned. -Anonymous

Great posts Jarrid. I'm convinced we need to educate the religious among us there are good Christian values in the anti-war movement, you can lower abortion rates more with a decent wage and education and access to health care than you can lower it by passing a law, and there's a Commandment against 'bearing false witness against thy neighbor' while homosexuality is an abomination only has a passing mention.

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